You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. (Psalm 86:5)
In our culture, the word “good” can be used to describe a meal, an interesting book or any number of things that appeal to us. And while the same is true in Hebrew, there is a much deeper meaning to the word. The Hebrew word טוב tov, thematically, is understood to speak of things that are where they are supposed to be and doing what they are designed to do. For instance, when God called forth the Light on Day One of Creation, the Bible says that, “And God saw the light, that it was good” (Genesis 1:4). In other words, it was where He wanted it to be and it was doing what He wanted it to do, therefore it was good.
With this in mind, consider that David refers to the Creator as good (tov), Of course, He is always where He is supposed to be because He is always everywhere — because He is Almighty God, He transcends space and time as we understand it. Because He is God, He is always doing what is good; as it is written, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). But we should understand that it goes beyond God doing what is good — He is the very essence of good.
In contrast, when comes to human beings, David observed that, “There is none who does good, No, not one” (Psalm 14:3), a sentiment that was affirmed by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans. There is only One who is always and forever good, and that is the Creator. This is a truth that Messiah reaffirmed as well. When a young rich man approached Yeshua and called Him, “Good Teacher,” Messiah responded to him saying, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God” (Matthew 19:17).
The point is, at best, we can strive to emulate the goodness of God — and we should strive to do so — but with the acknowledgement that only He is Good. Just as surely as He alone is Love (1 John 4:8), God alone is Good. Thankfully, He demonstrates that truth to His people daily. We who are not good are, nevertheless, the recipients of His eternal goodness. So it seems to fitting to close with this declaration: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!” (Psalm 106:1).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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